U.S. patent number 10,681,817 [Application Number 16/327,435] was granted by the patent office on 2020-06-09 for frame embedded components.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intel Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Brian J. Long.
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United States Patent |
10,681,817 |
Long |
June 9, 2020 |
Frame embedded components
Abstract
Aspects of the disclosure are directed to an edge card that
includes a printed circuit board having a top side and a bottom
side. The top side of the printed circuit board can include one or
more top-side circuit components, and a plurality of top-side metal
contact fingers, at least some of the top-side metal contact
fingers electrically connected to at least one of the one or more
circuit components. The bottom side of the printed circuit board
can include one or more bottom-side circuit components. The bottom
side of the printed circuit board can also include a substrate
interposer having a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the
substrate interposer can include one or more passive circuit
components at least partially embedded in the substrate interposer,
and one or more solder balls arranged around the one or more
passive circuit components.
Inventors: |
Long; Brian J. (Folsom,
CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Intel Corporation (Santa Clara,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
61760049 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/327,435 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2016 |
PCT
Filed: |
September 27, 2016 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/US2016/053902 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
February 22, 2019 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2018/063150 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
April 05, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20190215964 A1 |
Jul 11, 2019 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K
1/181 (20130101); H05K 3/34 (20130101); H05K
1/186 (20130101); H05K 3/284 (20130101); H05K
1/117 (20130101); H05K 3/4015 (20130101); H05K
3/368 (20130101); H05K 1/111 (20130101); H05K
1/141 (20130101); H05K 1/185 (20130101); H05K
2203/107 (20130101); H05K 2201/1003 (20130101); H05K
2201/10022 (20130101); H01R 12/721 (20130101); H05K
2203/1316 (20130101); H05K 2201/10545 (20130101); H05K
2201/10734 (20130101); H05K 2203/0228 (20130101); H05K
2201/042 (20130101); H05K 2201/10159 (20130101); H05K
2203/1327 (20130101); H05K 2201/10378 (20130101); Y02P
70/611 (20151101); H05K 2201/10015 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H05K
1/11 (20060101); H05K 1/14 (20060101); H05K
1/18 (20060101); H05K 3/40 (20060101); H05K
3/36 (20060101); H05K 3/34 (20060101); H05K
3/28 (20060101); H01R 12/72 (20110101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
2005166892 |
|
Jun 2005 |
|
JP |
|
2018063150 |
|
Apr 2018 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion issued in PCT
Application No. PCT/US2016/053902 dated Jun. 19, 2017. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Hoa C
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Patent Capital Group
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An edge card, comprising: a printed circuit board having a top
side and a bottom side; one or more top-side circuit components on
the top side of the printed circuit board; a plurality of top-side
metal contact fingers on the top side of the printed circuit board,
at least some of the top-side metal contact fingers electrically
connected to at least one of the one or more circuit components;
one or more bottom-side circuit components on the bottom side of
the printed circuit board; an interposer having a top side and a
bottom side; one or more passive circuit components at the top side
of the interposer, one or more solder balls arranged around the one
or more passive circuit components, wherein the top side of the
interposer is coupled to the bottom side of the printed circuit
board by at least some of the solder balls; and one or more
bottom-side metal contact fingers, the at least one of the
bottom-side metal contact fingers electrically connected to at
least one of the solder balls.
2. The edge card of claim 1, wherein the interposer includes a
plurality of traces, and at least one trace electrically connects a
bottom-side metal contact finger to one or more of the passive
circuit components.
3. The edge card of claim 1, wherein the bottom-side circuit
components include active circuit components.
4. The edge card of claim 3, wherein the active circuit components
include one or more of an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC) or a memory package.
5. The edge card of claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board
includes one or more traces electrically connecting the bottom-side
circuit components to the one or more solder balls.
6. The edge card of claim 1, wherein the interposer includes a
trace electrically connecting the one or more passive circuit
components to the top-side circuit components or to the bottom-side
circuit components.
7. The edge card of claim 1, further comprising: a mold compound on
the bottom side of the printed circuit board.
8. The edge card of claim 1, further comprising: a cavity in the
bottom side of the printed circuit board; wherein at least one of
the passive circuit components is in the cavity.
9. A memory device, comprising: a printed circuit board having a
top side and a bottom side; a plurality of top-side metal contact
fingers on the top side of the printed circuit board; one or more
bottom-side circuit components on the bottom side of the printed
circuit board, wherein the one or more bottom-side circuit
components include one or more memory elements; an interposer
having a top side and a bottom side; one or more passive circuit
components at the top side of the interposer, one or more solder
balls arranged around the one or more passive circuit components,
wherein the top side of the interposer is coupled to the bottom
side of the printed circuit board by at least some of the solder
balls; and one or more bottom-side metal contact fingers at the
bottom side of the interposer.
10. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the one or more solder
balls are part of a solder ball field that has a pitch less than
0.6 millimeters.
11. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the one or more passive
circuit components include a resistor, a capacitor, or an
inductor.
12. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the one or more passive
circuit components is at least partially embedded in the top side
of the interposer to a depth within the interposer so that a top
side of the one or more passive circuit components is lower than a
top side of the one or more solder balls.
13. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the memory device is a
small form factor device.
14. A method of forming an edge card, comprising: forming a
substrate interposer, wherein forming the substrate interposer
includes: providing a printed circuit board, the printed circuit
board including metal contact fingers proximate an edge of a bottom
side of the printed circuit board, one or more solder pads embedded
within the printed circuit board, one or more metal traces
electrically connecting at least some of the metal contact fingers
to at least some of the solder pads, and one or more solder pads on
a top side of the printed circuit board; exposing the embedded
solder pads; placing a passive circuit component onto at least some
of the exposed embedded solder pads; and forming solder balls on
each of the one or more solder pads on the top side of the printed
circuit board.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein exposing the embedded solder
pads includes forming a cavity in the top side of the printed
circuit board.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the cavity includes one
of milling or laser cutting the top side of the printed circuit
board to expose the embedded solder pads.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein the printed circuit board is a
first printed circuit board, and the method further includes:
solder mounting the substrate interposer to a bottom side of a
second printed circuit board.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: providing an
encapsulant on the bottom side of the second printed circuit board,
the encapsulant encapsulating at least a portion of the top side
and the bottom side of the first printed circuit board.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the metal contact fingers of
the substrate interposer are not encapsulated.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the second printed circuit
board includes a plurality of metal contact fingers.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This Application is a 371 of PCT International Application No.
PCT/US2016/053902, filed Sep. 27, 2016, entitled "FRAME EMBEDDED
COMPONENTS." The disclosure of this prior application is considered
part of (and is incorporated by reference in) the disclosure of
this application.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure pertains to frame embedded components, and more
particularly, to increasing printed circuit board area utilization
by embedding passive circuit components.
BACKGROUND
Electronic devices need to provide more functionality at an ever
shrinking form factor. Tablet and ultra-small (or ultra-thin) PCs
require devices such as storage (SSD/HDD) and wireless modems (WiFi
adaptor).
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example edge-card 100. The edge
card has a "gum-stick" form factor. The "gum-stick" form factor
edge-card connection allows for hardware swapping and upgrades, and
has a thickness and X-Y footprint that takes up valuable real
estate in the device. The example in FIG. 1 shows a basic
"gum-stick" SSD card design 100 with components on one side.
Components include an ASIC 102a, flash memory 102b-c, and passive
components 104. Each of the three types of components (and the edge
card connector itself) contribute to the X dimension of the card,
and the total thickness (Z dimension) is defined by the thickest
component plus the thickness of the card. Typically, the total Z
dimension of the card (.about.1 mm) with the flash packaging and
other components (.about.1 mm) is on the order of 2 mm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an edge card having a gum-stick
form factor.
FIGS. 2A-B are a schematic illustration of an example edge card
having a printed circuit board that includes a ball grid array
substrate interposer.
FIGS. 3A-B is a schematic diagram of an example ball grid array
substrate interposer.
FIGS. 4A-B is a schematic diagram of an edge card that includes a
ball grid array substrate interposer with embedded passive
components in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure.
FIGS. 5A-B is a schematic diagram of an example ball grid array
substrate interposer with embedded passive components in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram of an example substrate interposer
that includes a ball grid array surrounding a blank area in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 6A-F are schematic diagrams of a process for forming an edge
card with a substrate interposer in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an isometric view of a substrate
interposer in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an interposer implementing one or
more embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example computing device that
may connected via a linear edge connector.
Features shown in the figures are for illustrative purposes and are
not drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
This disclosure pertains to embedding passive electrical components
(e.g., passive circuit components, such as resistors, capacitors,
etc.) within a ball grid array (BGA) substrate interposer.
Embedding passive components into the BGA substrate interposer
facilitates the movement of passive electrical components away from
Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) real estate so that PCBA area
can be used for placing additional memory components, DRAM, or ASIC
packages (or other e.g., components, including non-passive and
passive components not embedded). This disclosure describes
embedding passive components in a BGA substrate interposer used for
any PCBA, such as those in which a high density of
GBytes/mm{circumflex over ( )}2 is required, whether to meet
product requirements or for a competitive advantage. The passive
electrical components can be moved within a volumetric region that
is currently utilized for gold finger connections.
As an example, FIGS. 2A-B are a schematic illustration of an
example edge card having a printed circuit board that includes a
ball grid array substrate interposer. In FIG. 2A is a schematic
diagram of a top side view 200 of an edge card 201 with a gum-stick
form factor. The edge card 201 includes a printed circuit board 202
with a top side 203a. The edge card 201 includes circuit components
204a and 204b, which can be ASICs, DRAM, other memory elements,
etc. The edge card 201 also includes passive circuit components
208a, 208b, and 208c. The edge card 201 can also include a
plurality of metal contact fingers 206, which can electrically
connect various circuit components to an edge connector.
FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a cross sectional view 250
through section A-A of the edge card 201 of FIG. 2A. The edge card
201 includes a PCB 202 that has a top side 203a, as mentioned
before, and a bottom side 203b. The edge card 201 includes circuit
components on the bottom side 203b, such as components 216a and
216b, which can be memory elements, DRAM, ASIC packages, etc. The
bottom side 203b also includes passive components 218. A mold
compound 220 can be used to encapsulate and to secure bottom side
components to the bottom side 203b of the PCB 202.
The edge card 201 also includes an interposer 210 that can
facilitate electrically connections between metal contact fingers
212 and the bottom side circuit components (e.g., components 216a-b
and 218). The interposer 210 includes a ball grid array (BGA) 214
that electrically connects the metal contact fingers 212 to traces
on the PCB 202.
FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of a top side view 300 of an example
ball grid array substrate interposer 301. BGA substrate interposer
301 includes a substrate interposer 210 and a plurality of solder
balls 215 that form a ball grid array 214. The solder balls 215
have a predetermined size. The BGA 214 has a predetermined pitch
(e.g., distance between each solder ball 215), which can be based
on the location of PCB traces on the PCB 202 of FIGS. 2A-B. FIG. 3B
is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view 350 through
section B-B of the example ball grid array substrate interposer
301. The BGA substrate interposer 301 includes a substrate
interposer 210 and a BGA 214.
FIGS. 4A-B is a schematic diagram of an edge card that includes a
ball grid array substrate interposer with embedded passive
components in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. In FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a top side view
400 of an edge card 401 with a gum-stick form factor. The edge card
401 includes a printed circuit board 402 with a top side 403a. The
edge card 401 includes circuit components 404a and 404b, which can
be ASICs, DRAM, other memory elements, etc. The edge card 401 also
includes passive circuit components 408a, 408b, and 408c. The edge
card 401 can also include a plurality of metal contact fingers 406,
which can electrically connect various circuit components to an
edge connector.
FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of a cross sectional view 450
through section B-B of the edge card 401 of FIG. 4A. The edge card
401 includes a PCB 402 that has a top side 403a, as mentioned
before, and a bottom side 403b. The edge card 401 includes circuit
components on the bottom side 403b, such as components 416a and
416b, which can be memory elements, DRAM, ASIC packages, etc. A
mold compound 420 can be used to encapsulate and to secure bottom
side components to the bottom side 403b of the PCB 402.
The edge card 401 also includes a substrate interposer 410 that can
facilitate electrically connections between metal contact fingers
412 and the bottom side circuit components (e.g., components 416a-b
and 418) and top-side circuit components. The substrate interposer
410 includes a ball grid array (BGA) 414 on a top side 411a of the
substrate interposer 410 that electrically connects the metal
contact fingers 412 on a bottom side 411b of the substrate
interposer 410 to traces on the PCB 402. The substrate interposer
410 also includes one or more passive electrical components 418
embedded in a top side 411a of the substrate interposer 410. The
one or more passive electrical components 418 can be electrically
connected to traces in the substrate interposer 410 that can
connect the one or more passive components 418 to other circuit
elements through solder balls and/or through metal contact fingers
412. The substrate interposer 410 is described in more detail in
FIGS. 5A-B. The edge card 401 also includes at least one additional
active component 416c, which can be placed in a free space on the
bottom side 403b of PCB 402 that is made available by moving
passive components 418 to the substrate interposer 410.
FIGS. 5A-B is a schematic diagram of an example ball grid array
substrate interposer with embedded passive components in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5A is a schematic
diagram of a top side view 500 of a substrate interposer 501 that
includes a ball grid array in accordance with embodiments of the
present disclosure. The substrate interposer 501 includes
electrical passive components 418 that are embedded into a center
region of the interposer 501. These electrical passives 418 can be
the same passive components (or same type of passive components)
from other regions of a small form factor (SFF) PCBA to which the
interposer 501 is attached. For example, passive components 418 can
be analogous to the passive components 218 that reside on the
bottom side of the PCB 202 of edge card 201. The freed space on the
SFF PCBA can then be utilized for other things like additional
memory packages or other active devices, such as active device 416c
of FIG. 4B.
In FIG. 5A, the BGA ball field 414 can be resized to have a smaller
footprint on the BGA substrate interposer 410 to make an open area
into which at least some of the bottom side passive components 418
can be embedded (i.e., into the substrate). Each solder ball 415
can have a decreased size and the BGA 414 can have a decreased
pitch (e.g., from 0.6-0.8 mm to 0.4 mm pitch), to accommodate the
passive components 418 in a middle area of the substrate interposer
410. Embedding the passive circuit components also allows for a
lower total Z height of the BGA 414 and substrate interposer
410.
FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of a cross-sectional view 550 of a
substrate interposer 501 that includes a ball grid array in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 5B,
the passive components 418 are shown as embedded into the substrate
interposer 410. The solder ball 415 has a smaller size than solder
ball 215. The ball grid array 414 has a smaller pitch than BGA 214
to accommodate the passive components 418.
Reducing the pitch of the BGA substrate ball field 414 opens
available space so that passive components 418 can be moved from
the bottom side 403b of the main substrate 402 and embedded into
this open space on the BGA substrate 410.
Moving the passive components 418 to the substrate interposer 410
can make room on the bottom side 403b of the PCB 402 for more
active circuit components 416c. Additionally, moving the passive
circuit components 418 can also relocate heat sources away from
active circuit components 416a-c.
FIG. 5C is a schematic diagram 560 of an example substrate
interposer 561 that includes solder pads 564 surrounding a blank
area 566 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
The substrate interposer 561 shown in FIG. 5C includes a plurality
of solder pads 564 onto which solder balls can be formed, thereby
forming a ball grid array. The plurality of solder pads 564
surrounds a blank area 566. Embedded within the substrate
interposer PCB layers are embedded solder pads (not shown here, but
shown schematically in FIGS. 6A-F and FIG. 7). The blank area 566
defines an area that can be milled or laser cut or otherwise
removed to expose the embedded solder pads. The embedded solder
pads, once exposed, can receive passive circuit components, such as
those shown in FIGS. 5A-B.
FIGS. 6A-F are schematic diagrams of a process for forming an edge
card with a substrate interposer in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure. In FIG. 6A, a printed circuit board (PCB)
602 that can be the basis of a substrate interposer is provided
(600). The PCB 602 is a trace and via routed PCB with plated gold
fingers on a bottom side and ball grid array pads (solder pads) on
a topside. The ball grid array pads surround a blank area (such as
the blank area 566 of FIG. 5C) on the top side of the PCB 602. Each
ball grid array pad can be electrically connected by a metal trace.
For example, top-side solder pad 606a can be electrically connected
to a metal contact finger through a trace 607a. Embedded in the PCB
and in locations under the blank area are embedded solder pads,
such as solder pads 608a and 608b. Embedded solder pad 608b can be
electrically connected to a top-side solder pad 606b by a trace
607b. In some embodiments, solder pads 608a and 608b can be contact
vias instead of metal landing pads. Contact vias can be open
passages that allow for leads on the passives to make contact with
underlying traces and can be large enough to receive the leads and
also allow for some solder reflow during a soldering process. FIG.
7 illustrates an example contact via 705 as an example embodiment.
Though shown as having two embedded solder pads 608a and 608b, it
is understood that more embedded solder pads can be embedded in the
PCB 602.
In FIG. 6B, at least a portion of the blank area on the top side of
the PCB 602 is removed from the PCB 602 to form a pocket or a
depression 612 in the top side of the PCB 602 (610). For example,
the blank area on the top side of the PCB 602 can be milled down to
a predetermined depth to expose the embedded solder pads 608a and
608b. In some embodiments, a laser can be used to cut the blank
area. In some embodiments, a laser can detect the metal of the
solder pads 608a and 608b and cut off automatically based on the
detection of the metal or wavelength of the laser.
In FIG. 6C, a passive circuit component 622 is placed onto the
embedded solder pads 608a and 608b (620). The passive circuit
component 622 can be placed onto the embedded solder pads 608a and
608b through surface mount technology (SMT) via pick-and-place
techniques. The circuit component 622 can be soldered to embedded
solder pads 608a and 608b through a solder operation. The passive
circuit component 622 can be electrically connected to, for
example, a metal contact finger through a trace 607c that is
electrically connected to the exposed embedded solder pad 608a. The
passive circuit component 622 can also be connected to a top-side
solder pad 606b through a trace 607b. The metal contact finger
allows the passive circuit component 622 to be electrically
connected to circuit elements on a different PCB or power source
etc. The top side trace 607b allows the passive circuit component
622 to be electrically connected to circuit elements on a main PCB
(as shown in FIGS. 6E-F). The depression 612 can allow for passive
circuit components to be placed onto the solder pads 608a and 608b
for making electrical connections to the traces; additionally, the
depression 612 is deep enough to accommodate the height (or at
least a portion of the total height) of the passive circuit
components so that the substrate interposer can be electrically and
mechanically connected to a bottom side of a main PCB (shown in
FIGS. 6E-F) without the passive circuit components hitting the
bottom side of the main PCB and without having to increase the size
of each solder ball to create an offset. It is understood that a
single passive circuit component is shown for illustrative
purposes, but many passive circuit components can be placed onto a
plurality of exposed embedded solder pads.
In FIG. 6D, a plurality of solder balls are formed onto the
top-side solder pads, forming a ball grid array on the top side of
the PCB 602 (630). For example, solder ball 632 can be formed on
solder pad 606b. The solder pad 606b has a predetermined size and
pitch, which results in a ball grid array having a corresponding
solder ball size and pitch. The solder ball size is determined so
as to allow for a predetermined number of solder balls needed for
all electrical connections contemplated by the circuits onto a
reduced available area. The available area is reduced due to the
blank space and resulting pocket for accommodating the passive
circuit components. The solder ball size is also controlled to be
large enough to make an electrical and mechanical connection to a
bottom side of a main PCB while also leaving room for the passive
circuit components (i.e., the solder ball 632 has a higher Z height
than the passive components). Once the solder balls 632 are formed
on the top side of the PCB 602, the resulting apparatus can be
referred to as a substrate interposer 601, for the purposes of this
disclosure.
In FIG. 6E, the substrate interposer 601 is attached to the main
PCB 641 (640). The substrate interposer 601 is soldered onto the
bottom side of the main PCB 641 using the solder balls 632. The
solder balls 632 can be soldered onto a solder pad 642b on a bottom
side of the main PCB 641. The main PCB solder pad 642b can be
electrically connected by trace 646b to a top-side solder pad 649b
that interfaces with a top-side circuit element 648. Main PCB
solder pad 642a can also connect substrate interposer solder balls
to a metal contact finger 644 on the edge of the PCB 641, and metal
contact finger 644 can be electrically connected to a top-side
solder pad 649a via trace 646c. Top-side circuit element 648 can be
an active circuit element (e.g., an integrated circuit package,
ASIC, memory element, etc.) or a passive circuit element.
The soldering of the solder balls 632 to the bottom-side solder
pads 642a-b on the main PCT 641 can create an electrical connection
between circuit elements of the substrate interposer 601 and
circuit elements of the main PCB 641. Additionally, soldering can
create a mechanical connection between the substrate interposer 601
and the main PCT 641. Stress on this mechanical connection,
however, can compromise electrical connectivity and can compromise
the mechanical connection itself. In FIG. 6F, an encapsulating
material 652 is introduced to the bottom of the main PCB 641,
resulting in edge card 651 (650). The encapsulating material can be
a thermoset plastic that is introduced via a transfer mold or
compression mold process wherein the PCB assembly with interposer
is encased in a mold and the thermoset plastic is introduced such
that it flows where desired. Special processes are applied (such as
masking) to keep the thermoset off of the gold fingers. The
encapsulating material can cover the bottom-side of the main PCB
641 and can encapsulate both a top side and a bottom side of the
substrate interposer 601. The encapsulating material can be formed
such that the metal contact fingers 604 are exposed, while the
remainder of the substrate interposer is encapsulated. The
encapsulating material 652 can provide protection to the substrate
interposer circuitry, and can also provide mechanical reinforcement
and stability for the substrate interposer 601. For example, the
substrate interposer 601 would no longer be suspended and supported
solely by the solder joints. The encapsulating material 652 can
provide structural support for the substrate interposer 601. Though
not shown in FIG. 6F, the encapsulating material 652 covers the
entire bottom side of the main PCB 641, which is shown in FIG. 4B
(as mold compound 420).
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an isometric view of a substrate
interposer 700 in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates an example trace routing in the
substrate interposer 700. The substrate interposer top side
includes a plurality of top-side solder pads 708 patterned around a
PCB depression 702. A solder ball 710 can be formed on each solder
pad 708. The top-side solder pads 708 have a size and pitch to
support a solder ball grid array 712.
FIG. 7 illustrates embedded traces 706a and 706b. In this example,
the embedded traces are shown for illustrative purposes, but it
understood that the traces are embedded in the PCB layering. The
trace 706a electrically connects solder ball 710 with a passive
circuit component 704 through a via 705. The trace 706b
electrically connects the passive circuit component 704 with a
metal finger contact 716 through a via 714.
FIG. 8 illustrates an interposer 800 that includes one or more
embodiments of the disclosure. The interposer 800 is an intervening
substrate used to bridge a first substrate 802 to a second
substrate 804. The first substrate 802 may be, for instance, an
integrated circuit die. The second substrate 804 may be, for
instance, a memory module, a computer motherboard, or another
integrated circuit die. Generally, the purpose of an interposer 800
is to spread a connection to a wider pitch or to reroute a
connection to a different connection. For example, an interposer
800 may couple an integrated circuit die to a ball grid array (BGA)
806 that can subsequently be coupled to the second substrate 804.
In some embodiments, the first and second substrates 802/804 are
attached to opposing sides of the interposer 800. In other
embodiments, the first and second substrates 802/804 are attached
to the same side of the interposer 800. And in further embodiments,
three or more substrates are interconnected by way of the
interposer 800.
The interposer 800 may be formed of an epoxy resin, a
fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin, a ceramic material, or a polymer
material such as polyimide. In further implementations, the
interposer may be formed of alternate rigid or flexible materials
that may include the same materials described above for use in a
semiconductor substrate, such as silicon, germanium, and other
group III-V and group IV materials.
The interposer may include metal interconnects 808 and vias 810,
including but not limited to through-silicon vias (TSVs) 812. The
interposer 800 may further include embedded devices 814, including
both passive and active devices. Such devices include, but are not
limited to, capacitors, decoupling capacitors, resistors,
inductors, fuses, diodes, transformers, sensors, and electrostatic
discharge (ESD) devices. More complex devices such as
radio-frequency (RF) devices, power amplifiers, power management
devices, antennas, arrays, sensors, and MEMS devices may also be
formed on the interposer 800.
In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, apparatuses or
processes disclosed herein may be used in the fabrication of
interposer 800.
FIG. 9 illustrates a computing device 900 in accordance with one
embodiment of the disclosure. The computing device 900 may include
a number of components. In one embodiment, these components are
attached to one or more motherboards. In an alternate embodiment,
some or all of these components are fabricated onto a single
system-on-a-chip (SoC) die. The components in the computing device
900 include, but are not limited to, an integrated circuit die 902
and at least one communications logic unit 908. In some
implementations the communications logic unit 908 is fabricated
within the integrated circuit die 902 while in other
implementations the communications logic unit 908 is fabricated in
a separate integrated circuit chip that may be bonded to a
substrate or motherboard that is shared with or electronically
coupled to the integrated circuit die 902. The integrated circuit
die 902 may include a CPU 904 as well as on-die memory 906, often
used as cache memory, that can be provided by technologies such as
embedded DRAM (eDRAM) or spin-transfer torque memory (STTM or
STT-MRAM).
Computing device 900 may include other components that may or may
not be physically and electrically coupled to the motherboard or
fabricated within an SoC die. These other components include, but
are not limited to, volatile memory 910 (e.g., DRAM), non-volatile
memory 912 (e.g., ROM or flash memory), a graphics processing unit
914 (GPU), a digital signal processor 916, a crypto processor 942
(a specialized processor that executes cryptographic algorithms
within hardware), a chipset 920, an antenna 922, a display or a
touchscreen display 924, a touchscreen controller 926, a battery
928 or other power source, a power amplifier (not shown), a voltage
regulator (not shown), a global positioning system (GPS) device
929, a compass 930, a motion coprocessor or sensors 932 (that may
include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a compass), a speaker
934, a camera 936, user input devices 938 (such as a keyboard,
mouse, stylus, and touchpad), and a mass storage device 940 (such
as hard disk drive, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk
(DVD), and so forth).
The communications logic unit 908 enables wireless communications
for the transfer of data to and from the computing device 900. The
term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe
circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications
channels, etc., that may communicate data through the use of
modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The
term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any
wires, although in some embodiments they might not. The
communications logic unit 908 may implement any of a number of
wireless standards or protocols, including but not limited to Wi-Fi
(IEEE 802.11 family), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 family), IEEE 802.20, long
term evolution (LTE), Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+, HSUPA+, EDGE, GSM,
GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT, Bluetooth, derivatives thereof, as well as
any other wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and
beyond. The computing device 900 may include a plurality of
communications logic units 908. For instance, a first
communications logic unit 908 may be dedicated to shorter range
wireless communications such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and a second
communications logic unit 908 may be dedicated to longer range
wireless communications such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE,
Ev-DO, and others.
In various embodiments, the computing device 900 may be a laptop
computer, a netbook computer, a notebook computer, an ultrabook
computer, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant
(PDA), an ultra mobile PC, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a
server, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an
entertainment control unit, a digital camera, a portable music
player, or a digital video recorder. In further implementations,
the computing device 900 may be any other electronic device that
processes data.
The above description of illustrated implementations of the
disclosure, including what is described in the Abstract, is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise
forms disclosed. While specific implementations of, and examples
for, the disclosure are described herein for illustrative purposes,
various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of
the disclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will
recognize.
These modifications may be made to the disclosure in light of the
above detailed description. The terms used in the following claims
should not be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific
implementations disclosed in the specification and the claims.
Rather, the scope of the disclosure is to be determined entirely by
the following claims, which are to be construed in accordance with
established doctrines of claim interpretation.
The relative sizes of features shown in the figures are not drawn
to scale.
The following paragraphs provide examples of various ones of the
embodiments disclosed herein.
Example 1 an edge card that includes a printed circuit board
comprising a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the
printed circuit board includes one or more top-side circuit
components, and a plurality of top-side metal contact fingers, at
least some of the top-side metal contact fingers electrically
connected to at least one of the one or more circuit components.
The bottom side of the printed circuit board includes one or more
bottom-side circuit components; and a substrate interposer
comprising a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the
substrate interposer includes one or more passive circuit
components at least partially embedded in the substrate interposer,
and one or more solder balls arranged around the one or more
passive circuit components. The bottom side of the substrate
interposer comprising one or more bottom-side metal contact
fingers, the at least one of the bottom-side metal contact fingers
electrically connected to at least one of the solder balls.
Example 2 may include the subject matter of example 1, wherein the
substrate interposer includes a printed circuit board with a
plurality of routed traces embedded in the printed circuit board,
at least one routed trace electrically connecting a bottom-side
metal contact finger to an embedded passive circuit component.
Example 3 may include the subject matter of any of examples 1-2,
wherein the bottom side circuit components can include active
circuit components.
Example 4 may include the subject matter of any of examples 1-3,
wherein active circuit components can include one or more of an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a memory
package.
Example 5 may include the subject matter of any of examples 1-4,
wherein the bottom side of the printed circuit board can also
include one or more traces electrically connecting the bottom-side
circuit components to the one or more solder balls.
Example 6 may include the subject matter of any of examples 1-5,
wherein the substrate interposer can include a metal trace
electrically connecting the one or more passive circuit components
to one or both of the top-side circuit components or the
bottom-side circuit components.
Example 7 may include the subject matter of any of examples 1-6,
can also include a mold compound on the bottom side of the printed
circuit board, the mold compound configured to secure the
bottom-side circuit components and the substrate interposer onto
the bottom side of the printed circuit board.
Example 8 may include the subject matter of any of examples 1-7,
wherein the bottom side of the printed circuit board also includes
a cavity, and wherein at least one of the passive circuit
components that is embedded in the substrate interposer resides in
the cavity.
Example 9 is a substrate interposer that includes a substrate
having a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the substrate
comprises one or more passive circuit components embedded at least
partially into the top side of the substrate, and a solder ball
field on the top side of the substrate, the solder ball field
comprising one or more solder balls located around the one or more
passive circuit components.
Example 10 may include the subject matter of example 9, wherein the
bottom side of the substrate includes one or more metal contact
fingers electrically connected to the at least one of the solder
balls on the top side of the substrate interposer.
Example 11 may include the subject matter of example 10, and can
also include a metal trace embedded in the substrate interposer and
electrically connecting the one or more passive circuit components
to one or both of the one or more solder balls or the one or more
metal contact fingers.
Example 12 may include the subject matter of any of examples 9-11,
wherein the one or more solder balls can include a diameter of
substantially 0.3 millimeters.
Example 13 may include the subject matter of any of examples 9-12,
wherein the solder ball field can include a pitch of substantially
0.4 millimeters.
Example 14 may include the subject matter of any of examples 9-13,
wherein the one or more passive circuit components can include one
or more of a resistor, a capacitor, or an inductor.
Example 15 may include the subject matter of any of examples 9-14,
wherein the one or more passive circuit components is at least
partially embedded in the top side of the substrate interposer to a
depth within the substrate interposer so that a top side of the one
or more passive circuit components is lower than a top side of the
one or more solder balls.
Example 16 is a method for forming an edge card, the method
including providing a printed circuit board for a substrate
interposer, the printed circuit board comprising metal contact
fingers proximate an edge of a bottom side of the printed circuit
board, one or more solder pads embedded within the printed circuit
board, one or more metal traces electrically connecting at least
some of the metal contact fingers to at least some of the solder
pads embedded within the printed circuit board; and one or more
solder pads on a top side of the printed circuit board, wherein the
one or more solder pads on the top side of the printed circuit
board surrounding a blank area on the printed circuit board. The
method also includes exposing the embedded solder pads; placing a
passive circuit component onto at least some of the exposed
embedded solder pads; and forming solder balls on each of the one
or more solder pads on the top side of the printed circuit
board.
Example 17 may include the subject matter of example 16, wherein
exposing the embedded solder pads can include forming a depression
in the blank area of the top side of the printed circuit board.
Example 18 may include the subject matter of example 17, wherein
forming the depression can include one of milling or laser cutting
the blank area on the top side of the printed circuit board to
expose the embedded solder pads.
Example 19 may include the subject matter of any of examples 16-19,
wherein the printed circuit board is a substrate interposer, and
the method further can include solder mounting the substrate
interposer to a bottom side of a second printed circuit board
comprising one or more integrated circuit packages.
Example 20 may include the subject matter of any of examples 19,
wherein the second printed circuit board can include one or more
solder pads on a bottom side of the second printed circuit board,
and wherein solder mounting the substrate interposer to the second
printed circuit board can include soldering the substrate
interposer to the second printed circuit board creating a solder
ball connection between the one or more solder pads on the bottom
side of the second printed circuit board and the one or more solder
balls on the top side of the substrate interposer.
Example 21 may include the subject matter of any of examples 19-20,
further comprising forming an encapsulant on the bottom side of the
second printed circuit board, the encapsulant encapsulating at
least a portion of the top side and the bottom side of the
substrate interposer, wherein the metal contact fingers of the
substrate interposer are not encapsulated.
Example 22 may include the subject matter of any of examples 19-21,
wherein the second printed circuit board can include a metal trace
embedded in the second circuit board electrically connected to a
solder pad on the bottom side of the second printed circuit board,
the trace electrically connecting a passive circuit components on
the substrate interposer with an integrated circuit packages on the
second printed circuit board through a ball connections.
Example 23 may include the subject matter of any of examples 16-22,
wherein placing a passive circuit component onto at least some of
the exposed embedded solder pads can include picking and placing
the passive circuit components onto at least some of the exposed
embedded solder pads.
Example 24 is a computing device that includes a processor mounted
on a substrate; a communications logic unit within the processor; a
memory within the processor; a graphics processing unit within the
computing device; an antenna within the computing device; a display
on the computing device; a battery within the computing device; a
power amplifier within the processor; and a voltage regulator
within the processor. The computing device also can include an edge
card. The edge card can include a printed circuit board comprising
a top side and a bottom side. The top side of the printed circuit
board can include one or more top-side circuit components, and a
plurality of top-side metal contact fingers, at least some of the
top-side metal contact fingers electrically connected to at least
one of the one or more circuit components. The bottom side of the
printed circuit board can include one or more bottom-side circuit
components; and a substrate interposer can include a top side and a
bottom side. The top side of the substrate interposer can include
one or more passive circuit components at least partially embedded
in the substrate interposer, and one or more solder balls arranged
around the one or more passive circuit components. The bottom side
of the substrate interposer can include one or more bottom-side
metal contact fingers, the at least one of the bottom-side metal
contact fingers electrically connected to at least one of the
solder balls.
Example 25 may include the subject matter of example 24, wherein
the bottom side circuit components can include active circuit
components.
Example 26 may include the subject matter of example 25, wherein
active circuit components comprise one or more of an application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a memory package.
Example 27 may include the subject matter of any of examples 24-26,
wherein the bottom side of the printed circuit board can include
one or more traces electrically connecting the bottom-side circuit
components to the one or more solder balls.
Example 28 may include the subject matter of any of examples 24-27,
wherein the substrate interposer can include a metal trace
electrically connecting the one or more passive circuit components
to one or both of the top-side circuit components or the
bottom-side circuit components.
Example 29 may include the subject matter of any of examples 24-28,
and can also include a mold compound on the bottom side of the
printed circuit board, the mold compound configured to secure the
bottom-side circuit components and the substrate interposer onto
the bottom side of the printed circuit board.
Example 30 may include the subject matter of any of examples 24-29,
wherein the bottom side of the printed circuit board can include a
cavity, and wherein at least one of the passive circuit components
that is embedded in the substrate interposer resides in the
cavity.
* * * * *